Luna
Luna & Zak is an American media franchise produced by Universal Animation. It began with the 2015 film of the same name, which was directed by Mark Dindal. The success of the film led it to receiving a licensed video game and an animated series broadcast on Universal Kids among other pieces of media. A sequel is scheduled for release in 2020. Films ''Luna & Zak'' (2015) The first film was released theatrically on December 11, 2015, through Universal Pictures. It follows a young gamer named Luna McPherson and her partner and best friend Zak Douglas who use a virtual reality machine to go through many different dimensions that act like a video game to stop some dangers occurring in each world. The film was met with positive reviews from critics, and grossed over $624 million worldwide on a budget of $103 million. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. ''Luna & Zak: Lvl. 2'' (2020) In December 2015, Universal Animation Studios president David Stainton said that there were ideas for a sequel, and that writer David Reynolds already did a couple of script drafts for the sequel. In October 2017, Universal announced that the development on the sequel had begun, with director Mark Dindal, producers Randy Fullmer and Joe Shapiro, and Reynolds returning. Anne Hathaway and Josh Gad are set to reprise their roles respectively, while Dan Fogler, Jonah Hill, Sofía Vergara, and John Cleese are expected to return as well. On July 5, 2018, Universal set the sequel, entitled Luna & Zak: Level Two, for a February 21, 2020 release and also confirmed that Fogler, Hill, Vergara, and Cleese will return, to be joined by newcomers Melissa McCarthy, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Elijah Wood, Chloë Grace Moretz, James Marsden, Elle Fanning, and Luke Wilson. In January 2019, Ash Brannon was announced as the film's new director, replacing Dindal as director as he was scheduled to direct an animated Garfield feature film instead. On April 27, 2019, the film was pushed back to November 20, 2020 to accommodate the release of Agent Chrysocolla. In June 2019, Universal announced that the sequel's title would be retitled Luna & Zak: Lvl. 2. Television series A television series based on the film premiered on December 16, 2017 on Universal Kids. Developed and produced by Universal Television Animation, the series is executive produced by Mark Dindal, Randy Fullmer, Joe Shapiro, and Mike Moon. While Sofía Vergara, Patrick Warburton, Nolan North, Mark Dindal, Thomas F. Wilson, Eric Bauza and John DiMaggio reprise their roles from the film, most of the original voice actors, including Anne Hathaway and Josh Gad, did not return (e.g., Jessica DiCicco and Keith Ferguson are the voices of Luna and Zak in the series). Short film ''How to Act Like a Player'' (2016) How to Act Like a Player is a short film included on the DVD and Blu-ray release of Luna & Zak. ''Super A.C.E.'' (2019) Video games ''Luna & Zak: The Game'' (2015) A free mobile action video game titled Luna & Zak: The Game was released on November 25, 2015. The game, developed by Gameloft, was adapted for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Other appearances Luna and Zak appear as playable characters in Universal Studios Legendary Heroes. Cast and characters *'Note:' Grey cells indicate that the character does not appear in that medium. Crew Reception Box office performance Critical response Category:Franchises Category:Luna & Zak Category:Universal Studios franchises Category:Universal Animation Studios franchises